Definition of Neonatal jaundice

Neonatal jaundice: Yellowish
staining of the skin and whites of the newborn's eyes
(sclerae) by pigment of bile (bilirubin). In newborn
babies a degree of jaundice is normal. It is due to the
breakdown of red blood cells (which release bilirubin into
the blood) and to the immaturity of the newborn's liver
(which cannot effectively metabolize the bilirubin and
prepare it for excretion into the urine). Normal neonatal
jaundice typically appears between the 2nd and 5th days of
life and clears with time.

Neonatal jaundice is also referred to as neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and physiologic jaundice of the newborn.